Thermal breaker strip



THERMAL BREAKER STRI P Filed Sept. 15,. 1965 United States Patent O 3,353,321 THERMAL BREAKER STRl Jerome P. Heilweil, Wynnewood, and Albert E.

Schweizer, Morrisville, Pa., assignors to Star Metal Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 487,538 1 Claim. (Cl. 52-716) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A thermal breaker strip for iinishing the edge of a refrigerated, or heated, cabinet wall and for thermally insulating it from the door of the cabinet while insulating the inner liner from the outer shell. The strip also carries a magnetically permeable element.

Our invention relates to a thermal breaker strip adapted to enclose the front edge of an inner liner and the front edge of an outer shell which, with the insulation therebetween, constitute the wall of a refrigerator cabinet and in other apparatus where it may be necessary that the iiow path of heat be interrupted.

The object of this invention is to produce an improved construction wherein the breaker strip is inexpensive to make; presents an attractive appearance and is easy to install.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a front elevational View of a refrigerator embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional View looking in the direction of line 2-2 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the strip shown detached.

In the drawings, C designates the cabinet of a re,- frigerator and D designates the door.

The cabinet is formed of an inner liner and an outer shell 12 which dene a space for receiving suitable insulation 14.

According to our invention, the thermal breaker strip serves to close the -gap l'between the front edges of the inner liner and the outer shell to prevent metal to metal contact therebetween and between them and the door or any other object.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the breaker strip includes a central body portion 16 of substantial thickness and of a width substantially equal to the thickness of the cabinet wall or the distance between liner 10 and shell 12. Near its opposite ends the body portion 16 of the strip is reduced to form relatively thin corners 18 which are eX- tended to form side walls 20 and 22 which are disposed at acute angles with reference to the plane of body portion 16. Reduced corners 18 provide a certain amount of springiness which permits movement of side walls 20 and 22 from the solid to the broken line position of FIG. 3.

Additionally, body portion 16 is provided with a locking member 23 formed of inner walls 24 and 26 which are integral with body portion 16 and of outer walls 28 and which stop short of body portion 16 to form outwardly diverging troughs 32 Vand 34. On its outer side, body portion 16 has outwardly converging grooves 35 for receiving the similarly converging ends 36 of a metal strip 38.

The breaker strip shown in FIG. 3 is applied to the front wall of the cabinet, as shown in FIG. 2 so as to close the gap between the edges of the in-turned ends 13 and 15 3,353,321 Patented Nov. 21, 1967 of liner 10 and shell 12 with troughs 32 and 34 projecting inwardly into the space between the liners. A foam-forming composition of any available type, such as polyurethane, is then introduced into the space between the inner liner 10 and outer shell 12 which composition, when fully reacted, produce a light, rigid, heat insulating material 14 which adheres to the liners and to the breaker strip and which, by filling troughs 32 and 34 anchors the strip in position. It will be noticed that the body portion 16 of the breaker strip is provided with areas 19 of reduced cross section which provide additional space to be iilled by the foam insulation 14, hence adding structural rigidity to the breaker strip. The -manner in which the foaming referred to is carried out forms no part of this invention.

It will be noted that the locking member has a width greater than the opening between flanges 13 and 15 and that it has to be compressed to be forced through said opening. This serves to hold the strip in position during the pouring of the foaming chemicals and it makes for better anchorage when the foaming chemicals have set into solid foam.

Metal strip 38 coacts with a ymagnet 40 which is carried by a gasket, to draw the door to its closed position. Tle gasket is shown and claimed in a separate application but,

in order to make reference to said application unneces sary, it is pointed out that gasket is carried by flexible arms 42 which are integral with a base member 44 which covers a gap 46 formed in the inner liner 48 of door D and which carries locking members 50 which are adapted to be embedded in a foam-forming insulation such as insulation 14.

In use, the marginal portions of liners 10 and 12 are bent as at 52 so as to provide seats for the walls 20 and 22 of the breaker strips. With the breaker strip thus assembled, the foaming material is introduced to integrate the breaker strip with the cabinet. The breaker strip thus serves as the front wall of the cabinet and eifectively interrupts the flow path of heat.

What we claim is:

A thermal breaker strip for the edge of a cabinet wall formed of an inner liner, an outer shell, and insulating material between, and adhered to, said liner and said shell,

said strip formed of plastic heat insulating material including:

a body portion and side flanges coacting to form a channel for enclosing the edge and adjacent marginal portions of said cabinet wall,

a locking member carried by said body portion for engagement with said insulating material to hold said strip in place,

therebeing spaced, outwardly converging grooves in the outer face of said body portion, and

a magnetically permeable element comprising =a body portion overlying the body portion of the breaker strip and having inwardly diverging flanges engaging said grooves thereby securing said element in place.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,307,094 1/ 1943 Yoxsimer 49-486 2,821,430 1/ 1958 Grede 49-489 X 3,130,455 4/1964 Borlenghi 42-211 X 3,226,367 12/ 1965 Monti 49-487 FOREIGN PATENTS 840,934 7/1960 Great Britain.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner. 

